


substitute

by somethingsintheair



Category: TWRP | Tupper Ware Remix Party (Band)
Genre: Bonding, Gen, Mind fuckery, Nightmares, i wrote this in uhhh may 2016 and decided to revise and finish it, may contain a second chapter if i'm feelin spicy but you get closure either way, this is my goodbye for now fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2020-03-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:42:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23090407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somethingsintheair/pseuds/somethingsintheair
Summary: In the early days of the band's career, Phobos has some feelings to work through.
Relationships: Doctor Sung & Lord Phobos
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	substitute

**Author's Note:**

> hey yall, it's been a while! i'm moving on to other fandoms so this is likely going to be my last twrp fic for a while. as of posting this, it has been _four years_ since i posted that first fic that started off this tag. i've written a lot of stuff that i'm really proud of, but i figured it's time for me to move on to other things that i have more interest in right now.
> 
> so, as a nice little sendoff, here's a fic i started back in 2016 and finished up in the past week or so!

The apartment was a lot nicer than expected. Sure, it looked a little grim when they first came across it. But once they moved in completely, it started feeling a lot more cozy. They set their instruments out on display in the living room, along with a new stereo system their neighbors would surely love. Slowly but surely, they were making a home for themselves.

There were three bedrooms, one for each band member who required a bed— Havve preferred to sit down and charge wherever he saw fit, so he didn’t find it necessary to spend the extra money on a room of his own. Doctor Sung was still trying to find a place to put everything from his lab, so his designated bedroom was crowded with equipment. This left him to room with Lord Phobos, which neither of them minded.

Well… Sung didn’t mind, at least. Phobos, on the other hand, was apprehensive about sharing a room with someone else, for reasons he’d rather not admit. He hadn’t been very open about his sleeping habits with his friends, and he didn’t want Sung to worry. But so long as Sung wasn’t a light sleeper, Phobos figured he could survive a few nights.

The first night, for the most part, was fine. They settled in at around the same time, and Sung fell asleep mere minutes after that. Phobos didn’t know why he’d assumed Sung just slept with his helmet on— that wouldn’t be comfortable at all. Although, it was still strange being able to see his face, especially under such vulnerable circumstances. Phobos took Sung’s trust to heart, and only glanced over his features for a moment before he rolled over and drifted off to sleep.

A few hours later, when Phobos jolted awake, Sung remained asleep.

The second night, things only got worse. It was very early in the morning when Phobos’s body jerked awake, his chest heaving and his respirator wheezing with the effort it took to breathe properly. He sat up as his eyes darted around the room, and felt Sung’s body shift beside him. Phobos went right back down onto the bed, hoping Sung wouldn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.

“Mm… Lord Phobos?” Sung’s tired voice called, causing Phobos to tense up. He knew he wasn’t getting out of this one easily, so he rolled over to face Sung. His eyes were barely open. “Sorry, did you… were you moving around, or?” Sung asked.

Phobos gave a little nod, and signed _‘restless sleep, sorry’_ in reply.

Sung furrowed his brow, but was apparently too tired to question any further, because he just mumbled something incoherent before dozing off again. Phobos let out a sigh of relief, and tried his best to settle down and get back to sleep.

It wasn’t until the third night that things went downhill.

At about 2 AM, Phobos shot up into a sitting position, shaking like a leaf and panting like he’d just run a marathon. He gripped the sheets below him, and his hearts felt like they were going to break out of his chest as he looked around the room. He could still feel it this time— he could hear the screams of his people, he could see their bodies hitting the ground as they struggled for their last breaths. Overseeing it all was that same unidentifiable figure, the one responsible for it all, looming over the crowd like the monster they were.

“Phobos?”

A hand settled on his shoulder, and Phobos tried desperately to push away; he managed to push himself right off the bed, and hit the ground with a loud _thump._ He stayed on the floor as he stared wide-eyed up at the bed, only to lock eyes with a very concerned Doctor Sung.

“Phobos, you… what the hell was that?” Sung asked, his voice low.

He didn’t know how to respond, really. It was hard to explain. And he couldn’t just lie his way out of this one, since he was still very clearly terrified. He trembled as he continued to stare up at Sung. It always took some time to recover, but usually he was by himself and it was _fine—_

“Phobos, did I… did I do something in my sleep?” Sung asked, still looking worried as ever. “Did I hurt you?”

Phobos took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm down, then shook his head in reply. _“Nightmare,”_ he signed with shaky hands. There was no way he was opening his mind up to speak telepathically.

Sung frowned, and soon hopped down from the bed to help Phobos up. He led Phobos to sit on the edge of the bed, and watched carefully as he tried to calm himself down. It didn’t seem to be working very well.

“What was the nightmare about?” Sung asked. That startled Phobos, who jerked his head upward to look at Sung. He hesitated, twitching hands hovering in front of him, trying to find the proper words to explain himself.

_“Home,”_ he signed after a moment, and Sung understood right away. He remembered the incident very clearly, even more so than Phobos had— he’d just been hoping Phobos didn't remember at all.

“Has this… happened before?” Sung asked, “The nightmares, are they frequent?”

Phobos nodded.

“How… frequent, would you say?”

Phobos hesitated. _“Frequent.”_

Sung let out a soft sigh and took a seat next to Phobos. “You know, I… have trouble sleeping sometimes, too,” he said.

Phobos tilted his head in question.

“I mean… I went through a lot before I met you guys,” he explained, looking down at his hands. “But I could help you get to sleep, if you’d like. I have my ways.”

Sung turned to look at Phobos, and for the first time, Phobos really got a look at his eyes. They were… oddly mesmerizing. Beautiful, in a way. They seemed to glow softly, even in the faint light from the window.

_“What is it?”_

Sung turned to face Phobos completely and took a deep breath. “Do you trust me?” he asked.

Phobos paused. He hadn’t known Sung for too long, but all he’d done so far was help him. He seemed like a good man, especially since he’d quite literally saved Phobos’s life upon meeting him. Slowly, Phobos nodded.

Sung moved in closer, trying his best not to show any sign of apprehension. “Okay, I’m just going to… I’m going to get in close here for a second, okay?” he asked as he rested a hand on Phobos’s cheek. When he saw Phobos tense up under his touch, he hesitated.

“Hey, relax,” he said softly. “I’m not going to hurt you. I promise.”

Phobos just stared back at him, only jumping slightly when Sung lifted his other hand to hold his head steady. He still looked rather frightened, hands fidgeting in his lap.

Sung furrowed his brow. “It’s okay,” he said, locking eyes with Phobos. “You can trust me. Okay?”

Phobos lifted his hands to communicate, but Sung’s gaze was enough to make him forget what he wanted to say in the first place. Instead, he just nodded, his posture starting to relax.

Sung let out a sigh as his eyes shone a soft, pale blue. Sure, he felt a tad bit guilty about what he was about to do. But he knew Phobos was far better off without some of the more gruesome details of his planet’s destruction. He would be okay. At least now, he was looking calmer about the whole thing.

Sung took his time searching through his friend's thoughts until he could pinpoint the right memory. Seeing it from Phobos’s perspective was quite the shock; people crying, screaming, dropping like flies. All while a tall figure— his own Commander— stood over them. He’d already… made some _edits_ to both their memories of the incident upon meeting them, just to make sure they didn’t try to kill each other. But even if Phobos and Meouch didn’t know who was responsible for so many deaths, Sung himself would always know the full story. He couldn’t change that.

Carefully, he started to obscure the memory, making it more distant, harder to recall. He didn’t want to completely erase the memory of Phobos’s species, not even the fact that they were gone. But the visuals themselves, the sight of people dying in front of him, those could definitely go. He removed the figure altogether, just to give Phobos some peace of mind. Could have been natural causes, really. He wouldn’t know.

Sung exhaled slowly as the memory faded from his sight. Soon, the glow dimmed from his eyes and Phobos fell limp in his arms. With careful hands, he straightened out his respirator and set him back down in bed. He pulled the covers up over Phobos before he moved over to his own spot to settle down once again.

**Author's Note:**

> if you'd like to keep up with my future writing endeavors, you can always subscribe to me or check out my [writing tumblr.](https://somethiingsintheair.tumblr.com/)
> 
> thanks to everyone who has enjoyed and engaged with my work over all this time! maybe i'll see you in another fandom <3


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